Reimagining IT for Whole-Person Care: A CTO’s Perspective on Driving Value-Based Innovation

By Rob Posner, Chief Technology Officer, AbsoluteCare

At AbsoluteCare, we believe that technology should do more than support care – it should help transform it. As CTO, I’ve had the privilege of leading a tech journey that’s not just about systems and software, but about empowering our teams to meet our vulnerable members where they are, with what they need, when they need it most.

Value-based care demands a new kind of IT thinking. It’s not enough to digitize workflows or automate reminders. We must build a technology ecosystem that enables whole-person outcomes – social, behavioral, and physical – delivered in the right setting, whether that’s our centers, a member’s home, or the hospital. And we must do it with urgency, precision, and compassion.

Value-based care demands a new kind of IT thinking.

Facing the Challenges Head-On

The road to transformation isn’t without bumps. Like many value-based care organizations, we’ve wrestled with legacy EMRs that weren’t built for longitudinal care. Our tech stack must serve facility-based, community-based and remote teams. Engagement tools often default to impersonal automation. And unifying disparate patient data remains a formidable challenge. But these hurdles are not roadblocks; they are invitations to innovate.

Building the Foundation for Disruption

We’ve embraced a bold vision to become a disruptor in Medicaid and Medicare care delivery. That starts with culture. We’ve defined our north star objectives, set expectations for excellence, and built governance structures that align business and technology.

On the systems side, we’ve optimized our core technology while identifying future-state needs. We’ve reset vendor relationships to ensure alignment with our mission. Our community tech stack now supports connected clinical apps in any environment, with robust asset management and mobile workflow capabilities.

Cloud is no longer optional – it’s foundational. We’ve prioritized migration opportunities and invested in the skills needed to sustain a cloud-first strategy.

Recent Technology Investments Driving Care Innovation

Over the past year, we’ve made key strategic investments to redefine how technology supports care delivery – both inside our centers and out in the community.

Integrated care management:

Jiva, our dedicated care management platform, is built to support the complex workflows of our Transitional Care Managers (TCMs), New Member Engagement (NME) team, and Community Health Workers (CHWs). While many organizations try to stretch their Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to manage care coordination, we chose a different path – one that truly enables whole‑person care by supporting social, behavioral, and medical interventions with greater precision.

Committing to a purpose‑built care management system meant placing a high bar on our IT team to tightly integrate Jiva with our EMR. The result is a unified, comprehensive view of each member’s needs and seamless coordination across every touchpoint.

Beyond dashboards, we’ve taken a holistic approach to equip field teams with mobile-centric tools, including Guardian apps for safety, secure devices, locking rolling bags, and car chargers – all so care can securely happen anywhere. A rigorous approach to change management ensures these innovations align with our care model and are adopted and optimized for real-world impact.

Blending AI and human touch for optimal impact:

We’re also amping up the use of AI to accelerate decision-making and free up time for human connection. From ambient listening that captures visit details and auto-populates clinical notes, to AI-driven member data summaries that deliver a 360-degree view of each member. We’re leveraging solutions that draft care plans by synthesizing data against internal criteria, which are then refined by our clinical team.

And with AI-powered chatbots for policy and reference materials, our teammates can access answers instantly and independently, without creating large work queues for shared services like HR, legal and IT. These investments are about creating smarter workflows, reducing friction, and ensuring every minute saved goes back to what matters most: caring for our members.

The Future Is Now

If you’re in IT at a value-based care company, I encourage you to press the boundaries of what’s possible. Don’t settle for incremental change. Prioritize culture, change management, and organizational alignment. Recognize your limitations, but don’t be defined by them. Sometimes the answer isn’t to retire a platform – it’s to reimagine it.

At AbsoluteCare, we’re proving that technology can be a catalyst for whole-person care. It can help us address the most pressing needs – whether social, behavioral, or physical – in the most timely and effective way. It can keep people well, not just treat them when they’re sick.